need some advice on helmet cams….putting in bid for funding and thought this would be a great tool to support skills development etc.

havent go a clue whats good and whats not… can anyone help?

cheers

GoPro HD.

Thread closed.

Thread reopened

Have a look at this camera..CONTOR GPS..the thing with GoPro is that it looks like a disposable camera stuck on your helmet! 😆 .. sniggers like a child..

the thing with GoPro is that it looks like a disposable camera stuck on your helmet! .. sniggers like a child..

Not when you use the chest mount it doesn’t. 8)

Toaster springs to mind when I see them on the head..

Take a look at the Contour would be my advice and don’t just disregard it.

I have the contour 1080 and can not fault the quality of the footage taken so far. Not sure the GPS is a must have function mind you.

Contour Vholdr fail, GoPro HD win all the time.

Was joking really. Plenty second hand of Contour on EBay, however finding second hand GoPro HD is problematic.

I’ve just bought myself a GoPro HD.

Did a fair bit of research, and it was always between the Contour HD and the GoPro. At the end of the day, i’m more concerned with the quality of the footage rather than how it looks on, and the two were very comparable.

However, the variety of mounting systems, the extra functions (still shots, timed shots etc.) and, ultimately, the price, all pushed me towards the GoPro.

Both cameras deliver excellent footage, from what I’ve seen, so it really is up to how much you can spend. Those are certainly the two to choose between though!

Oh, and as a lot of the video hosting sites compress the footage, over on Vimeo you can download the raw footage for a better view of the quality. HTH

How about the new Go Pro 960? Footage is still pretty impressive!

Doesn’t do 60fps recording at 720/960 though.

$179 but sadly around £180 over here in the U.K, might be able to import one sneakily though. I was thinking about one of these as I won’t typically need 1080, and the cost for the full HD is quite expensive.

Got both the Contour 1080P HD & Go Pro HD and like both, but the Contour does take better footage on an MTB (shake etc.) at 720p setting as the frame rate is ramped right up!

I’m with comedyphil on this. Spent plenty of time researching and it came down to the amount of mounts you can get for gopro, plus its fully waterproof and if you damage it, its just the case. The stills option every few secs is excellent too, great on the m/bike eg
http://newimages.fotopic.net/?iid=13nqal&noresize=1&nostamp=1&quality=70

The 960 would be tempting. I only use 960 on the MTB, 720 on the m/bike. 1080 is superfluous to me. I also dont use 60fps, although I should give it a go.

Forgot the link about comparison test from MTBR forums but HERE and HERE is some footage to be seen by that reviewer. Make up your mind, scroll through few of his videos as they are helpful.
[video]http://www.vimeo.com/7448122[/video]

thread still open?, Tachyon XC 2011 camera available November…
now HD and 120 degree lense, retail $180 on there website
and will be available here in the UK around £180 from The Picture Exchange
thats a good price for an HD cam… waterproof and tough as er old boots,
take up to 32g cards…thats 8 hours filming 😮 or about 3 days timelapse!
ordered one and getting a discount so will be posting film when it arrives

Talk to dogcamsport.

they are very very very helpful, have a massive range and really know what they are talking about.

Coastkid you’ve got me looking at 3D cameras now 😯

Don’t forget to post some footage, be interesting to see the quality. Would be nice to have a camera shoot out…. get it …. 😆 …. goes back to sleep

The Gopro and Contour both have great picture quality so for me it was just all about the mounts… And Gopro still win that hands down. Chest mount’s the best allround mounting so it’s a big deal (admittedly the HD Gopro doesn’t work perfectly with the Chesty, it doesn’t tilt back far enough without either an adaptor or some fannying around. But it’s still the best single option by a mile)

I have a contour
I want a Go Pro but holding out for the 960

Contour is just too limited on mounting options and weatherproofing to make it any good for MTB in my opinion
Helmet mounts – tricky to fit flat plate / velco straps on a curved vented helmet and therefore wobbly footage
Stick on mount – flat and cant really go anywhere other than a pisspot lid unless you have huge tubes on your frame
Handlebar mount – badly designed impossible to tighten with gloves and puts camera too exposed above the bars, also camera on handlebars Im not keen on as the slightest direction change looks like a huge jump in direction
The cradle that lets you use a standard camera fixing is good, but then you need additional mounts as well, I ended up making my own frame mounts to attach it to seat clamps and bottle cage bosses but then the camera is again exposed and the last thing you need is mud and grit in the sliding record switch (easy to operate but very tempermental once dirt has got in)

Only thing the Contour has going for it is the rotating lens and sighting lasers, both of which with better mounting options I could do without

I now only use it on my helmet, any other places, its not weather proof enough to cope
If they did a chest mount though….

The Go Pro chest mount is by far the best mounting option, the lens is a wider angle, the waterproof case is miles better and the HD footage seems comparable

I second Dogcamsport as a good source of info

OMG… i didnt realise it was so tricky and complicated (1080, 960???) but then its mountain biking, i should have guessed.

Its going to be used as a learning tool for new riders to review
their progression, we use a flip at the mo but i think a helmet / chest cam is better for on the bike stuff.

Will check out all links and footage… cheers all

Whenever I look around at videos, enthusiast blogs, hack info, tips, etc the GoPro seems to be more universally talked about. I noticed even the BBC were using a few for Bang Goes the Theory the other night.

I think they’re planning a mount and cable to sync 2 units for 3d too 🙂

Surprised no mention of the Drift HD170 – generally reckoned the best at the mo. Built in screen – remote on/off button for the handlebars. The way forward by all accounts – I’ve been doing a lot of homework and this is where my dosh is going.

Linky

The drift is good but no 60fps

contour for teh win